Topgolf looking to attract value conscious consumers this summer with deals, as Americans pull back on spending due to economic uncertainty. This comes as Topgolf Callaway Brands remains on track to separate into two separate companies this year. Joining us now, we got Artie Starrs, Topgolf CEO and my morning brief co-host Brad Smith. Artie, great to speak with you. Thanks for making the time. Want to get your take on the state of the consumer, of course, but first, walk us through what Topgolf's business is going to look like after this split. What are you anticipating?

Well, first of all, Brad and Melissa, thank you so much for having me. Uh, after the split, we, we believe we're going to be an extremely strong company just like we were before. Both businesses were strong independent businesses before. We're excited about the, you know, the focus that each business will be able to have on, on the specific things that we do, in the case of golf equipment and apparel, uh, golf clubs and fantastic shirts and things. And in the case of Topgolf, the amazing experiences that we bring to life in our venues every day that our play makers bring to life. So we're, we're extremely enthusiastic about, uh, about the separation and, and look forward to updating your audience on it as the rest of the year evolves.

Artie, within that, I wonder what the forecast for growth looks like from here. I've been to a Topgolf experience across six different states, multiple types of, you know, different premises that they're on, but, and, and never send a video to our team because obviously they will figure out a way to make sure that it lights up the screen. But, you know, at the end of the day, these are highly replicable experiences that you're able to bring forward. But is it at a premium right now, knowing the type of land that needs to be secured, knowing the type of resources, and the staffing as well right now?

Yeah, so we continue to see, uh, significant opportunity for new venues. You, you mentioned very well, Brad, the, our, our venues are, are highly repeatable. So the, the types of sites that we look at and what we build, we're able to build the same foot on the same footprint and, and provide the same fantastic experience. I think in this environment, what, what we're actioning for the summer is bringing value to our players' lives. You know, we value is always important, but at this moment in time, we've launched Sunday Funday, which is for families, which meets families where they're at. We have Topgolf Nights or TG nights so that, that nightcap or after dinner on a Friday and Saturday night where groups can get together and have a fantastic time at Topgolf. And then, uh, next week we'll be launching an advertising campaign where Monday through Thursday, um, half off golf at Topgolf. I mean, what's better than that? So, uh, filling the venues up is our priority. So we see a lot of growth in that. The, the testing of these value initiatives have gone extremely well to driving traffic. So we're excited to meet players where they're at this summer.

You know, that kind of gets into our, our next thought here, which is what you're seeing in the pulse of the consumer right now, those who kind of look at this as both an experience economy play, but also a food away from home, a, or even on the corporate side as well. I know you run events. So all those things kind of married together here, what are you seeing in that pulse of the many different types of consumers that Topgolf engages with?

Well, players are looking for great value, and the, the question I posed to our team and our marketing agency a short while ago is like, why would you just eat? Why would you just do something when you could do it all at, at Topgolf? So we've, we view an experience at Topgolf is where you can have an active live entertainment experience where you're part of the action. We have unbelievable food and beverage. We hear it from time and time again from our players that they are pleasantly surprised at how great the food is. And what makes it all tick is our playmakers. We call our team members playmakers because they make play. And when you gobble that all together, uh, we're seeing our value scores improve. We win on fun and atmosphere and overall experience. And, you know, we're extremely optimistic that whether it's an experience economy or an out-of-home, uh, eating economy, we're there for it.